Reliable fire sprinkler part numbers and short codes can help get precisely the right equipment
Every fire sprinkler has a SIN, or sprinkler identification number. SINs identify unique sprinkler models according to their K-factor, response type, and other key characteristics. However, sprinklers have essential aspects that aren’t captured in SINs: most commonly, their activation temperature, finish, and (for dry sprinklers) custom barrel length.
To navigate buying most sprinklers, you can use the SIN with QRFS’s QuickFinder tool or our search bar at the top of the site. Enter or search the SIN, choose model with the options like temperature and finish you need, and you can order the right (non-dry) sprinkler—along with appropriate cover plates, escutcheons, and wrenches. However, knowing how to find manufacturers’ part numbers can also be beneficial.
Every sprinkler manufacturer uses internal numbers to keep track of details like temperature, finish, and the barrel length of dry sprinklers, and even identify distinct versions of some SINs that can be installed as concealed or exposed sprinklers. Part numbers aren’t always necessary, but they ensure getting precisely the right equipment.
We’ve explained Victaulic part numbers and Tyco part numbers in previous blogs. This article is your guide to Reliable’s fire sprinkler part numbers and short codes—the latter another important coding system for this manufacturer. Read on to learn about:
Looking for sprinklers? Check out our growing Reliable sprinkler selection, plus Reliable cover plates, escutcheons, and wrenches. If you don’t see what you need, our team will gladly help—call or email us.
Short codes for most Reliable sprinklers
If you need to order Reliable fire sprinklers based on internal designations, your best resource is Reliable’s List Price Books.
They are categorized by various sprinkler types, such as “Standard Spray Quick Response (or Standard Response), Residential, Storage, and other key characteristics. So, you’ll need to know a little about the sprinkler and its application to choose the right book—info you can determine from knowing the SIN and looking at the sprinkler’s data sheet or product page.
When you select the right price book and open it, the easiest way to find a specific sprinkler is by doing a “Find in Document” search by the SIN. The keyboard shortcuts are typing command + F on Mac or control + F on Windows. Enter the SIN and tab down until you see the sprinkler.
Once you find the page with your sprinkler, you’ll see a table with two columns: one for part number, and one for short code. Reliable’s customer service team explains that the part number is typically used in their system for engineering and manufacturing purposes. In contrast, the short code is the go-to code for sales.
So, if you need to order most parts employing one of Reliable’s internal designations, default to using the short code. QRFS features the short code, along with the SIN and other information, on our product pages. (However, the short code doesn’t apply to dry barrel sprinklers, which we’ll cover soon!)
Many sprinkler manufacturers use relatively complex part-numbering codes to describe all the possible features of a sprinkler. However, Reliable’s short-code system is a little less complicated than some others, especially because the price book just pre-builds the code for you.
Every short code has the following:
- Leading letters that specify the sprinkler series
- A letter code that indicates the orientation (e.g., upright, pendent, or horizontal sidewall)
- A number code for the activation temperature
- A letter code for the finish
That’s usually it. In practice, this can be confusing. So, the best bet is to pull up the price book and search for your sprinkler by SIN (again, type CTRL+F or CMD+F). From there, you don’t need to build a short code manually; you can simply choose the mix of sprinkler characteristics in the table, and Reliable provides the complete code.
Regardless, let’s explain the various parts of the short code below.
Reliable groups its sprinklers by series, so that’s the first piece of information in the short code. The sprinkler series is at the top of Reliable’s data sheets, which it calls “bulletins.” For example, if you were looking for our sample RA1421 sprinkler, its bulletin/data sheet covers all the SINs in the F1FR28 Series Quick Response Sprinklers. Since the is a quick response, standard spray sprinkler, we’ll use that specific price book.
Regardless, and again, if you know the SIN and have the price book, Reliable automatically fills in these digits of the short code with the series’ letters and numerals. Since the RA1421 is part of the F1FR28 series, the beginning of its part number is “F1FR28.” So, our example short code thus far is F1FR28 [X] [X] [X].
Within a Reliable sprinkler series, there will be a handful of options for sprinkler type or orientation. So, the next part of a Reliable short code is a single letter:
- U for upright
- P for pendent
- H for horizontal sidewall
The RA1421 is an upright sprinkler, so our example code, so far, is F1FR28U [X] [X].
This rule generally doesn’t apply to concealed sprinklers, as their specific orientations are consistent with the models. As always, make sure to know the SIN and check the price book.
After the sprinkler orientation, Reliable short codes specify the activation temperature using some nonintuitive codes (note the 5 in the middle):
- 0 for 135F
- 1 for 155F
- 5 for 175F
- 2 for 200F
- 3 for 286F
Thus, let’s say we want an RA1421 rated for 175°F. The string will have a 5 for the temperature section, so our example short code becomes F1FR28U5 [X].
Sprinkler finishes can be both cosmetic and functional. Reliable offers some coatings—specifically, polyester paints and electroless nickel with PTFE—that are listed as corrosion-resistant. Other options denote materials with lower lead amounts to comply with specific applications. Check out the sprinkler’s data sheet for the precise options and listings.
Trailing letters specify the finish in a Reliable short code. Here are some of these codes:
- B for brass
- C for chrome
- W for white polyester
- SS for stainless steel
- BLL for Brass Low Lead
Thus, our RA1421 upright with a 175°F activation temperature and a white polyester finish has the final short code F1FR28U5WN.
What is that “N?” Some short codes have it, while others don’t. One sound theory is that it indicates a “new” variation of the short code. Reliable also sometimes has a “3N” at the end of the short codes for its sprinklers. This one is easier to explain: the 3 indicates Reliable’s Series 300 sprinklers that have a maximum service pressure of 300 PSI.
However, in the end, the specifics of the digits aren’t too relevant for most people because …
The price book is the short-code shortcut!
Again, unlike some manufacturers’ part numbers, Reliable does most of its numbering work for you. Instead of building the code out and filling in the missing numbers and letters, you can simply look at the table in the price book and choose the characteristics you want.
The different rows show various combinations of temperature, finish, and any other characteristics that can vary for a unique SIN. Once you find the row with the right mix, Reliable will show you the complete short code! Nevertheless, now you know what those individual symbols mean.
Reliable dry barrel sprinklers rely on part numbers instead of short codes
Ordering dry barrel sprinklers is more complicated than ordering regular ‘wet’ sprinklers. For one thing, you have to specify the custom dimension (length) of the barrel. In addition, Reliable’s dry price book does not provide short codes for dry sprinklers—only part numbers. Accurately ordering a dry head means working with its part number. And to get the right part number, you’ll need the sprinkler’s SIN and Reliable’s dry sprinkler price book.
As you search through the document, be aware of a few details:
1. As before, searching the document by SIN (typing CTRL+F or CMD+F) is your friend.
2. Unlike many sprinklers, Reliable’s dry sprinklers can have more than one connection size. For example, the R5714 (a 5.6K sprinkler) can come in 3/4″ NPT or 1” NPT threads—each model with different part numbers based on the size. Make sure to look at the correct table for that size:
3. Finally, know that Reliable dry sprinklers use different part numbers depending on the sprinkler’s escutcheon type. There are three general types of escutcheons available: standard (relatively flat), adjustable 401 (aka cup-and-skirt escutcheons that protrude from the surface), and recessed escutcheons. You can read more about these escutcheon types in our previous blog entry.
Each sprinkler and escutcheon combo has its own table of part numbers—check carefully for the right type and table. The pictures in the price book help clue you in:
With possibly two different thread sizes and three different escutcheons for each sprinkler, you might choose between six different tables of part numbers for just one sprinkler SIN.
With all that out of the way, let’s dive into the details of how to specify temperature, finish, and barrel dimension. The base part number will look like this: [XXX] [TEMP] [XX] [DIMENSION]. The leading [XXX] code section, which may be two or three digits, just refers to which part number table we’re looking at and the characteristics that it represents.
For example, let’s build a part number for a sprinkler with the SIN R5714 that has a recessed escutcheon and 3/4” threads. Looking at the right table, our part number always starts with H65 — H65 [TEMP] [XX] [DIMENSION].
Once you’re on the correct sprinkler table, simply look at the row with the desired finish, and Reliable populates its part number with a two-digit code. Brass, chrome, and white polyester are three common options:
- 11 for brass
- 21 for chrome
- 08 for white
Let’s say we want a white finish. After finding the table for the R5714 with 3/4” threads and a recessed escutcheon, we look at any of the white finish rows. There are several of these rows based on different (barrel) size ranges, but each specifically shows a different price—the base part number remains the same on each line.
Choosing a line with the white finish, the part number is now H2 [TEMP] 08 [DIM], and we only need the activation temperature and (barrel) dimension to complete it. Unlike the other elements, we must now do a little work to fill in these last details.
As with non-dry sprinklers, Reliable has a number code that indicates the activation temperature of dry heads. But the numbers are different:
- 01 for 135F
- 02 for 155F
- 03 for 175F
- 05 for 200F
- 08 for 286F
Fortunately, the price book has an “Order Matrix” table of temperature ratings next to every sprinkler, along with a key to figuring out the barrel dimension (more on that in a second). We’ve reproduced it below:
Just fill in the correct number code in the brackets that say [TEMP] on our example part number so far: H65 [TEMP] 08 [DIM]. We want the 175°F version with code 03, so our part number becomes H650308 [DIM].
To get this number, you’ll need to measure the appropriate (barrel) dimension using Reliable’s procedure. (Check out our guide to taking these measurements for various manufacturers.) Then, look at the Order Matrix again.
Reliable doesn’t provide every possible dry barrel dimension in the matrix, but this key offers examples to show how to create the 4-digit code.
The first 2 digits are the dimension in inches. So:
- 06 [X][X] means a 6″ dimension
- 12 [X][X] means a 12” dimension
The last 2 digits represent the dimension in quarter of an inch increments. So:
- 0634 means a 6-3/4” dimension
- 1212 means a 12-1/2” dimension
Returning to the R5714 sprinkler we’re building, we want a 9-1/4” barrel dimension. So, the dimension code would be 0914, which finalizes our part number by placing these digits at the end: H653080914.
The bottom-line steps to getting dry sprinkler part numbers
- Search for the dry sprinkler SIN and pick the right table in the dry price book, keeping in mind that there are different tables for different escutcheon types and connection sizes.
- Choose the row with the desired finish to get most of the part number.
- Finally, fill in the activation temperature codes and (barrel) dimension in the part number using the Order Matrix key on the left.
Reliable sprinkler short codes and part numbers: pretty easy with price books!
When ordering fire sprinklers, there are many options. And if you know the SIN, you usually have almost all the information you need. Often, you can then just pick the temperature and finish you want and rely on getting the correct part. QRFS makes ordering non-dry sprinklers easy with our product pages and QuickFinder tool.
But sometimes, people must get very specific with orders—especially with dry barrel sprinklers. In any case, you can use Reliable’s short code for non-dry sprinklers (and other parts) and the part number for dry models. QRFS is happy to do the work for you to source the specific Reliable parts you need!
Check out our selection of Reliable sprinklers, cover plates, escutcheons, and wrenches. For dry sprinkler orders, or if you need something you don’t see in our catalog, contact us at support@qrfs.com or 888-361-6662.
This blog was originally posted at blog.qrfs.com. If this article helped you, check us out on X @QuickResponseFS.